Electrostatic photocopy machine



April 28, 1970 Filed Aug. 5, 1967 FIG! A. M. HYOSAKA ELECTROSTATIC PHOTOCOPY MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Maw

ATT'Ys APril 28, 1970 A. M. HYosAKA 3,508,825

ELECTROSTATIC PHOTOCOPY MACHINE April 28,--1970 A. M. HYOSAKA 3,508,825

f ELECTROSTATIC PHGTOCOPY MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 196'? 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ALFRED M. HYOSAKAl y WMMMMMJM ATT'YS April 28, 1970` A. M. HYosAKA ELECTROSTATIC PHOTOCOPY MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 5. 1967 FIG. IO

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UnitedStates Patent O1 hcc 3,508,825 Patented Apr. 28, 1970 3,508,825 ELECTROSTATIC PHOTOCOPY MACHINE Alfred M. Hyosaka, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Speed-O- Print Business Machines Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 658,196 Int. Cl. G03b 27/32 U.S. Cl. 355--11 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A graphic original document and a copy sheet are fed into the machine and guided past an illuminating station and an exposure station, respectively. The image on the original is projected through a double-folded optical system from the illuminating station onto the charged surface of the copy sheet at the exposure station. Feeding and guide assemblies for the original and copy sheets are pivotally mounted to rotate away from the illuminating and exposure stations, respectively, for access thereto.

BRIEF SUMMARY O F THE INVENTION The invention relates to photocopy machines, particularly of the electrostatic type, wherein a copy sheet having a photo-sensitive coating thereon receives an electrostatic charge and is thereafter exposed to the image to be copied. The machine to which the present invention is applied is of the type which embodies an optical system which is used to project the image from the graphic original onto the copy sheet for exposure. This enables copies to be made of two-sided originals.

After exposure, a latent image is formed on the coated side of the sheet which is developed by applying thereto a iinely divided toner. yIn the present case the toner is in liquid form, and the latent image on the copy sheet is developed by being passed through the liquid toner.

Diiculties have been encountered heretofore in these so-called lens type copy machines because they have been large and cumbersome as well as complicated internally, thereby making it dificult and time consuming to repair or even to gain access to the interior thereof where sheets may become jammed while passing therethrough.

IFurthermore, adjustability of the lens and mirror arrangements have heretofore resulted in the optical system becoming out of focus relatively easily, which is not the case here. If the present system becomes out of focus it is relatively simple to correct it.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a lens type copy machine which has a greatly simplified mechanical structure compared to those heretofore. known and which enables the overall size and complexity of the machine to be reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved optical system in an electrostatic copy machine which occupies very little space, and the structure of which enables the lens of the system to be pre-set at the factory.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel mounting means for the optical system, which is of the so-called double-folded type, wherein the image on the original document is projected onto a mirror and thence into the lens, then back to the mirror, and finally onto the copy sheet.

A still further object of the invention is to simplify the mounting of the optical system so that the mirror, onto which the original image is initially projected, is rigid with respect to the lens mounting, so that only the lens need be adjusted to obtain an initially sharp image. If the lens should become out of focus during shipment of the machine, novel retaining means have been provided which necessitate but a quick adjustment to bring the images back into focus.

Another object is to provide guide and roller assemblies for the original document and copy sheet, respectively, each of which is rotatably mounted on the machine frame for quick movement for gaining access to the interior mechanism.

Other and more specic objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a copy machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, transverse sectional view through the machine on an enlarged scale, with certain parts thereof broken away and shown in section, taken substantially along the plane of line 2--2 of FIG. 1, and showing the guide and roller assemblies in closed or operative position.

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary, detailed sectional view of the paper side guide taken along the plane of line ZA-ZA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2B is a fragmentary, detailed sectional view taken along the plane of line ZB-ZB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the guide and roller assemblies in their open positions, and `with the cartridge which contains the developer fluid shown in its lowered position with respect to the developing tank.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the optical system showing the casting for the lens mounting and the mirror mounted thereon in fixed relation thereto;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the casting or frame for the lens taken along the plane of line 5 5 of FIG. 2 for looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, plan view of the lower guide and roller assembly taken along the plane of line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational View of the assembly shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the casting or frame on which the lens and mirror are mounted;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of the assembled parts shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the assembled parts shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the general overall external appearance of the machine embodying the invention, which consists primarily of the housing 11 having end members 12, a top 13, bottom 14, a rear panel 15 and a front panel or door 16 capable of being removed or opened to gain access to the interior of the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower edge of the panel 16 is hinged to the bottom 14, as at 17, thereby enabling the panel to be pivoted downwardly to open position.

The machine is provided at the front thereof with a feed deck 18, across which the documents and copy sheets may be fed into the machine. The feed deck is provided with adjustable side guides 19, the details of which will be explained more fully hereinafter.

In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the copy sheet on which the image is reproduced is placed below the original document to be copied. The feed deck 18 is provided with an inwardly and downwardly sloping portion 20, along which the copy sheet is directed as it enters the machine.

The original and copy sheet are separated as they enter the machine by a separator member generally indicated at 21 and which may be seen more clearly in FIGS. 2

and 3. This separator is substantially Y-shaped and has a substantially horizontally positioned leg 22 provided with an inwardly and downwardly extending portion 23, whereby a passageway 24 is formed between this extension 23 and the sloping surface 20 of the feed deck.

The separator 21 also is provided with an upwardly and inwardly sloping extension 25, along which the original document is guided into the machine.

As indicated heretofore, the machine to which the present invention is applied is of the type where the image on an original is projected, by means of an optical or lens system, onto a copy sheet thereto for electrostatically charged, thereby to produce a latent electrostatic image therafter developed. In this instance the original and copy sheets are fed into the machine and are then guided into diverging paths. The original document is fed and guided past an illuminating station generally indicated by the numeral 26, while the copy sheet is guided first through the electrostatic discharge device 27 and then past the exposure station generally indicated at 28.

A suitable lamp 29 is mounted within a reflector 30 for the purpose of illuminating the image on the original at the illuminating station for projection thereof onto the copy sheet.

The copy sheet is fed and guided past the exposure station 28 and then into a liquid toner of suitable and wellknown type contained in a tank 31. The copy sheet is fed through the liquid container and then upwardly through a passageway 32 out of the machine through an opening 33 in the top thereof. Prior to the emergence of the copy sheet, the original will have been fed past the illuminating station and outwardly of the machine through the slot or opening 34 in the top thereof.

The foregoing is a general description of the operation of the machine so that a clear understanding thereof may be had prior to describing the details which constitute the various aspects of the invention involved herein.

The liquid toner may be placed in and removed from the tank 31 in any desired manner. In the present instance, however, it is preferred that the liquid toner be contained in a cartridge 35 mounted on a suitable shelf or carriage member capable of being raised and lowered within the housing. More specifically there is illustrated pairs of links 36 at each side of the machine, each of which is pivoted at the forward end thereof, as at 37, to the carriage or shelf for the cartridge, while each of the opposite ends thereof is pivoted, as at 38, to the frame of the machine. An over-center spring assembly 38a holds the cartridge and shelf in either upper or lower position.

A handle 39 is suitably secured to the cartridge supporting carriage, which handle preferably extends through a vertical slot 40 in the front panel 16, so that raising or lowering of the handle 39 will raise or lower the cartridge 35. A suitable connection (not shown) is made between the cartridge and the tank so that when the cartridge is in its elevated position liquid toner may drain into the tank, and when the cartridge is in its lower position the toner will drain from the tank back into the cartridge.

This arrangement is similar to that disclosed in my earlier filed copending application, Ser. No. 578,734, led Sept. 12, 1966, and the electrical system is such that, when the cartridge is moved to its elevated position an on-off switch is actuated to start the drive motor and blower.

The discharge device 27 and lamp 29 becomes energized upon the feeding of the copy sheet through the passageway 24. To this end a microswitch 41, having a blade 42, thereon, is mounted within the machine and preferably on one of the guide and roller assemblies, with the blade 42 extended into the passageway 24. Movement of the leading edge of the copy sheet through this passageway will contact the blade 42, closing the switch, which thereupon Iwill energize the electrostatic discharge device 27 and lamp 29.

The motor 43, which is started by elevation of the toner cartridge 35, is provided with a drive shaft 44, having a sprocket `45 mounted thereon. An endless chain 46 is driven by sprocket 4'5, which chain also drives other shafts and rollers of the machine, as will presently be described.

The chain 46 is trained around a rst idler Sprocket 47 on the shaft 48, a second idler sprocket 49 on the shaft of roller 50, a third sprocket 51, a fourth sprocket 52 on shaft f53, and a chain tensioner 53a. As will presently appear, these various sprockets, driven by the chain, will rotate the infeed and outfeed rollers which convey the original document and copy sheets through the machine.

vOne feature of the invention resides in the provision of the guide and roller assemblies, enabling quick and easy access to the interior of the operating parts of the machine. The lower guide and roller assembly is generally indicated by the numeral 54, while the upper guide and roller assembly is generally indicated at 55. These assemblies are shown in FIG. 2 in their closed or normally operating position, while in lFIG. 3 they are illustrated in the open or non-operating position for access to the interior of the machine.

The lower guide and roller assembly 54 comprises a pair of end frame members 56, each pivoted to a side of the machine frame at 57. These frame members carry the lower half 5'8 of the electrostatic discharge member 27, the feed dec'k 118, microswitch 41, the idler infeed roller 59, and an idler outfeed roller 60 which, in the operating position thereof as shown in FIG. 2, is driven by the outfeed drive roller `61.

The frame members 56, comprising the guide and roller assembly 54,k also carry another microswitch 62, which has a blade 63 extending into the path of movement of the copy sheet as it is fed to the developing tank. The closing of the switch maintains operation of the lamp and electrostatic discharge element until the trailing edge of the copy sheet has passed the blade 63v to insure that the copying procedure will continue until all of the graphic original has been copied.

The lower guide and roller assembly 54 is maintained in its uppermost operative position by any suitable means. In the illustrated embodiment, however, each of the end frame members 56 is provided with a latching arrangement shown in greater detail in FIG. 2B. It will here be noted that end frame 56 has secured thereto and extending inwardly therefrom a sleeve 64. A stem 65 is received within this sleeve and is mounted for axial sliding movement therein. The outer end of the stem 65 is enlarged to provide a locking member 66, which extends into a suitable detent formed in the sides of the frame of the machine. The opposite end of the stem 65 is provided with handle means such as the knob 67, which may be manually grasped to withdraw the locking member 66 from the detent.

A coiled spring 68 surrounds the stem 65 within the sleeve and bears at one end against the slevee and at its other end against a shoulder formed between the locking member `66 and stem 65. The spring thus urges the locking member into locking position to engage the detent in the side frames of the machine. The knob 67 on each device may vbe grasped and pulled inwardly thereupon to disengage the members 66 from the other respective detents, thereupon freeing the guide and roller assembly for downward pivotal movement about the pivot means 57. The assembly is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 3, where the downward movement thereof is limited by a suitable stop member 69. This same stop member acts to limit upward movement of the cartridge 35 and its carrrage.

As mentioned heretofore, the infeed drive roller 50 is caused to rotate by means of the idler sprocket 49. When the guide and roller assembly 54 is in its operative position as shown in FIG. 2, the idler infeed roller 59 will frictionally engage the roller 50. Thus, after the cartridge has been elevated to begin rotation of the drive means and the leading edge of the copy sheet actuates the switch 41 to activate the lamp and discharge device the sheet will pass through the discharge device 27, whereupon the leading edge will be gripped by the roller 50 and`59 to feed the copy sheet past the exposure station 28. Thereafter, the leading edge will be gripped by the rollers 60 and 61, which will feed the exposed copy sheet through the liquid toner or other developer fluid in the tank 31. The bottom of the tank is so shaped as to guide the copy sheet upwardly and outwardly of the tank at the opposite side thereof where the leading edge will be gripped by the rollers 70 and 71 and fed upwardly through the passageway 32 formed =by the guide members 72 and 73.

The upper guide and roller assembly 55 includes va pair of end frame members 74, each positioned adjacent a side of the machine. Each end member is pivotally secured to a part of the main frame by means of the pivot pins 75.

The guide and roller assembly 54 is provided with a front closure member 76, which, as may be seen, for example, in FIG. l, acts to shield the interior of the machine from being seen from outside. This closure member preferably extends downwardly and inwardly from the top of the machine when the assembly is in its operative position as shown in FIG. 2. The front surface thereof extends toward the separator 21 and is then directed upwardly and inwardly of the machine substantially parallel to the upper extension 25 and spaced therefrom, thereby to provide a passageway 77 through which the original document may pass.

The end frame members 74 also carry two idler rollers, one indicated at 78 and the other at 79. When the frame members are in their operative positions, the roller 78 frictionally engages a drive roller 80, and idler roller 79 frictionally engages a drive roller 81. The shaft on which roller 80 is'mounted carries a gear (not shown) in mesh with a similar gear on the shaft of roller `50 which is driven 'by sprocket 49. Thus rollers 78 and 80 feed the original past the illuminating station. Similarly a gear (not shown) on the shaft of sprocket 51 meshes with a gear on the shaft of roller 81 whereupon rollers 79 and 81 feed the original document outwardly of the machine.

As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the casting or mounting frame on which the optical system is mounted cooperates with the lower guide and roller as- -sembly 54 and with the upper guide and roller assembly 55 to provide passageways for the copy sheet and original document, respectively, which guideways are so arranged as to hold the document and copy sheet in the proper image planes to project a sharp image onto the copy sheet.

The upper guide and roller assembly 55 is held in the operative and inoperative positions thereof by any suitable means, but in the disclosed embodiment an overcenter spring 82 is used, which may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the two extreme positions thereof. One end of the spring 82 is secured to a pin 83 in the side frame of the machine. The opposite end thereof is secured to a pin 84 on the assembly itself. The position of the spring with respect to the pivot point 75 of the assembly is suchr that as the assembly is moved upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3, about the pivot point 75, the spring will move from one side of the pivot to the other, whereby the assembly will housing when the assembly is in its normal operating position.

One purpose in gaining access to the interior of the machine, other than for mechanical repairs, is due to a possible jamming of either the original document or the copy sheet as they pass through their respective passageways. This is not a normal occurrence, but when it happens it is desirable that the operator of the machine be able to remedy the situation promptly. It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the machine embodying the present invention provides such an expedient because the upper guide and roller assembly 55 can be opened immediately merely by grasping the assembly and rotating it upwardly about its pivot points 75. If the machine is operating and the copy sheet jams, it is merely necessary to lower the cartridge 35, open the panel 16, and rotate the lower guide and roller assembly 54 downwardly.

One of the features of the present invention is the construction of the side guide members 19, which enables them to be quickly and easily adjusted to accommodate a given width of paper to be fed into the machine. It will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 that the feed deck 18 has an elongated rib 86 extending downwardly from the underside thereof. This rib is provided with an inverted T- slot with the leg 0f the T opening upwardly in the upper face of the feed deck 18. Each side guide 19 is provided at the back side thereof with a web 88 extending perpendicularly therefrom (see FIG. 2A).

The web 88 has an elongated spring foot 89 at the underside thereof (see FIG. 2A), adapted to fit into the horizontal part of the T-slot and extend longitudinally thereof. The web 88 will protrude upwardly through the open side of the slot, while the foot 89 thereof may be received within the horizontal part of the slot to move lengthwise thereof. Since the foot 89 is formed of spring metal, the ends thereof will frictionally engage the under surface of the horizontal part of the T-slot, thereby tending to hold the guide 19 in any position to which it may be moved. Once it has been moved, the frictional engagement of the foot with the slot will maintain it in adjusted position, while at the same time permitting quick and easy movement thereof for adjustment.

A further feature of the present invention involves the simplified construction of the optical system, wherein a double-folded system results. This system and the construction thereof may be seen in its relation with respect to the remainder of the machine in FIGS. 2 and 3. The details thereof, however, may be more readily understood by reference to FIGS. 4, 8, 9 and l0.

A unitary frame member, preferably of cast metal for economic reasons, is generally indicated by the numeral 90, and is provided with a wall 91 at one side thereof. The wall 91 is provided with an illuminating window 92 in the upper part thereof, past which the original document moves, at the illuminating station 26. An exposure window 93 is provided in the wall 91, in the lower part thereof, past which the copy sheet moves, at the exposure station 28. These windows 92 and 93 extend substantially the width of the wall 91, but are relatively narrow in height so that only a predetermined portion of the original document and copy sheet may be illuminated and exposed at a time. The window 92 is provided with a plurality of angularly disposed, thin filaments 94, and the window 93 is similarly provided with laments 95, as'

shown, for example, in FIGS. 5 and 9. These filaments act to maintain the original and copy in the proper plane as they move past the illuminating and exposure stations, respectively.

One side of the wall 91 is provided with the upper and lower arcuate portions 96 and 97, which form, together with the respective upper and lower guide and roller assemblies, guide paths for the original and copy sheets in their movement through the machine.

The wall 91 has a pair of legs 98 and 99 extending rearwardly therefrom in spaced-apart relation. The leg 98 has a horizontal web 100 connecting it to the wall 91, while the leg 99 has a similar web 101 connecting it with the wall 91. Vertical webs 102 and 103 extend from the upper sides of the legs 98 and 99, respectively, toward and join the wall 91. The upper edge of each web 102 and 103 is preferably flattened to provide a surface upon which a reflector 104 may rest. This reflector is secured to these webs by suitable means such as the screws 105 and 106.

Each end of the wall 91 is provided with a rearwardly extending end wall 107 and v108, through which suitable screws may extend to fasten the entire casting or frame member 90 to the main frame of the machine. These walls 107 and 108 are also connected to the legs 98 and 99 by the horizontal webs 107g4 and 108a, respectively.

At substantially the center of the frame member 90 and extending rearwardly from the wall 91, there is provided a circular housing 109, having a smooth interior surface and which is adapted to receive the barrel 110 of a lens assembly. Depending upon the focal length desired, the assembly may include a plurality of lens elements held in place against a suitable shoulder therein by means of a nut 111, which threadedly engages internal threads in the barrel.

A lens mirror 112 is positioned behind the assembly of lenses within the barrel 110. A back-up plate 113 is positioned against the rear face of the mirror 1-12, and the mirror and plate are held in assembled relation by means of the nut 114.

The barrel 110, having a smooth surface thereon, is readily inserted within the circular housing 109. Adjustment of the lens assembly is achieved preferably by means of the adjusting screw 115, which extends through a threaded opening in the wall 91 and bears against the back-up plate 1l13 of the assembly. The screw 115 is preferably of the type which is provided with a nylon insert 116, which is commercially available on the open market. Such a screw is locked in any position to which it is moved because of the outward pressure of the nylon insert against the threads thereof.

The lens is pre-set at the factory by the adjusting screw 115 and is thereafter held in its adjusted position by one or more set screws 117. Should the lens become shifted during shipment of the machine, after the pre-setting thereof at the factory, it is necessary only to loosen the set screw against the barrel, push the lens assembly back against the adjusting screw 115 and` tighten the set screw. This will automatically focus the lens again, because, as will presently be seen, the mirror into which the image of the original is initially projected is fixed onto the casting or frame member 90 and cannot be moved with respect thereto.

As mentioned above, the optical system used herein, is preferably of the double-folded type. In a single-fold system the image is projected directly from the original document into the lens, and reflected therefrom directly onto the copy sheet at the exposure station. In the optical system illustrated herein, there is not only a mirror in the lens assembly, but also an external mirror perpendicular to the axis of the lens, so that a double-fold occurs; that is, the original image is projected onto the mirror, then reflected therefrom into the lens from which it is again reflected back to the mirror, and finally to the exposure station. n

In the present construction, this mirror is identified in the various figures of the drawings by the numeral 118. It is suitably supported in a frame 119, which is provided with a pair of end brackets 120 and 121. These end brackets extend forwardly toward the Iwall 91 when assembled with the frame member 90. Each end bracket has an inwardly bent portion at the top thereof. such as shown at 122 and 123, so that the mirror and frame may be properly mounted upon the upper surface of the legs 98 and 99.

As shown herein, the upper surfaces of the legs slope rearwardly and downwardly so that in order for the mirror 118 to be mounted in a vertical plane, the inwardly bent portions 122 and 123 also are inclined to the same degree with respect to the horizontal.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the lines of projection of the image from the original at the illuminating station to the copy sheet at the exposure station. FIG. 4 illustrates the same on an enlarged scale, so that the details thereof will be more clear. The reflector 104 has a highly polished upper surface 123 and a shield portion 124 extending rearwardly therefrom, which acts as a shield or baflle to prevent any light from reaching the lens directly from the light source 29.

The light source, together with the reflector 30 and the reflective surface 123, provides a high intensity illumination for the original document as it moves past the window 92 at the illuminating station. The image thus illuminated is projected onto the mirror 118, thence through the lens assembly to the mirror 112, then back to the mirror 118, and finally through the window 93 to the copy sheet as it moves past the exposure station.

A shutter 125 extends between the end walls 107 and 108 of the lens frame 90 and may be rotated to permit a greater or lesser amount of light to reach the copy sheet. This shutter is provided with a pivot 126 so that it may be moved between the full-line position and the dot-dash line position shown in FIG. 4. A suitable connection between the shutter and the dial 127 (see FIG. 1) which extends through a suitable opening in the machine housing, enables a rotation of the dial to rotate the shutter and control the exposure.

An intermediate shield or baie 128 is mounted on the webs and 101 (FIGS. 4, 8 and l0) and extends forwardly from the plane of the mirror 118 to the line of intersection of the light rays to and from the lens assembly and as indicated, for example, by the light rays 129 and 130 in FIG. 4. This prevents double exposure of any portions of the image onto the copy sheet at the exposure station.

It is to be noted that the rear4 panel 15 is pivotally mounted to the main frame adjacent the bottom thereof as shown at 131. The guide 73 which, together with guide 72 forms passageway 32, is also secured to the panel 15, so that, in the event of a. jamming of the copy sheet in passageway 32, it may be released by opening panel 15..

If necessary appropriate additional shield may be provided to prevent outside light from reaching the exposure station or optical system.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that various novel arrangements have been provided for in an electrostatic copy machine to simplify the construction not only from the standpoint of facilitating access to the interior of the machine, but also to make the focusing of the optical system simpler and less apt to become out of adjustment. The simplified construction enables easy focusing if it does become out of focus such as, for example, through shipment of the machine.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an electrostatic copying machine wherein the image on an original document is illuminated and moved past an illuminating station and projected onto an electrostatically charged copy sheet moving past an exposure station, and thereafter developed, the improvement which comprises,

(a) a fixed` lens support positioned between the said stations,

(b), a first unitary guide and roller assembly,

(c) a second unitary guide and roller assembly,

(d) a sheet separator between said first and second guide and roller assemblies to separate the original and copy sheets as the are fed into the machine,

(e) each of said unitaryguide and roller assemblies being contoured to cooperate with said separator and lens support and -provide passageways through which said original and copy sheets may pass into the machine and past the illuminating and exposure stations, respectively,

(f) idler rollers on said assemblies and drive rollers adjacent said lens support adapted to cooperate to feed said original and copy sheet through the machine, and

(g) means mounting said assemblies for pivotal movement away from said lens support, thereby to gain access to the machine interior.

2. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, including an electrostatic discharge device through which the copy sheet is adapted to pass to receive an electrostatic charge, a portion of said device being mounted on one of said assemblies and movable therewith.

3. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, including a feed deck mounted on one of said assemblies across which the original and copy sheet are fed into the machine.

4. The combination of elements defined in claim 3, including side guides mounted on said feed deck in frictional engagement therewith and movable along said feed deck to accommodate sheets of different sizes.

5. In an electrostatic copying machine wherein the image on an original document is illuminated at an illuminating station and projected onto an electrostatically charged copy sheet at an exposure station, and thereafter developed, the improvement which comprises,

(a) a fixed lens support positioned between the said stations,

(b) a lens-mirror assembly adjustably mounted in said support,

(c) retaining means to hold` said lens-mirror assembly in adjusted position,

(d) a fixed mirror rigidly mounted in spaced relation to said lens-mirror assembly (e) the reflecting surface of ysaid mirror facing toward said lens-mirror assembly and the illuminating and exposure stations, andl spaced therefrom a distance to create a double-folded optical system wherein a sharp image is projected from the original document onto a copy sheet,

(f) said fixed lens support including (1) a wall (2) a tubular member extending from said wall adapted to receive adjustably said lens-mirror assembly,

(3) an upper window in said wall above said tubular member through which an image on an original document is projected onto said mirror from the illuminating station, and

(4) a lower window in said wall below said tubular member through which an image is projected onto a copy sheet at said exposure station from said mirror, after said image has twice passed through said lens-mirror assembly.

6. In an electrostatic copying machine wherein the image on an original document is illuminated at an illuminating station and projected onto an electrostaticalf' 1y charged copy sheet at an exposure station, and thereafter developed, the improvement which comprises,

(a) a fixed lens support positioned between the said stations,

(b) a lens-mirror assembly adjustably mounted in said support (c) retaining means to hold said lens-mirror assembly in adjusted position,

(d) a xed mirror rigidly mounted in spaced relation to said lens-mirror assembly,

(e) the reflecting surface of said mirror facing toward said lens-mirror assembly and the illuminating and exposure stations, and spaced therefrom a distance to create a double-folded optical system wherein a sharp image is projected from the original document onto a copy sheet,

(f) said fixed lens support including (l) a tubular member adapted to receive said lens-mirror assembly for focusing movement in an axial direction, and

(2) a pair of legs extending from said support on opposite sides of said tubular member, on which said mirror is fixedly mounted.

7. In an electrostatic copying machine wherein the image on an original document is illuminated and moved past an illuminating station and projected onto an electrostatically charged copy sheet moving past an exposure station, an-d thereafter developed, the improvement which comprises,

(a) a fixed lens support positioned between the said stations,

(b) a first unitary guide and roller assembly,

(c) a second unitary guide and roller assembly,

(d) each of said assemblies being contoured to cooperate with said lens support and provide passageways through which the original and -copy sheets may be moved past the illuminating and exposure stations respectively, (e) means for transporting the original and copy sheets through the machine and (f) means mounting at least one of said assemblies for pivotal movement away from said lens support, thereby to gain access to the interior of the machine. `8. The combination of elements defined in claim 7, wherein said transporting means include idler rollers on said assemblies and drive rollers adapted to cooperate therewith to feed the original and copy sheets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,627,203 2/ 1953 Hessert 355-64 X 3,088,386 5/1963 Sugarman 355-11 3,181,420 5/ 1965 Rautbord 355-14 3,286,588 11/1966 Wick et al. 355-65 X JOHN M. HORAN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 355- 

